President Prabowo Gaspol Waste to Energy, Large City Waste Targeted to Become Electricity

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the acceleration of a program to process waste into energy. (Photo: Presidential Secretariat Press, Media, and Information Bureau)

BOGOR - President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the acceleration of the waste-to-energy (Waste to Energy/WTE) program in major cities. The instruction was conveyed in a meeting in Hambalang, Bogor, Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

The Minister of Investment and Industrialization and Head of BPI Danantara, Rosan Roeslani, reported the progress of the program in a number of densely populated cities such as Jakarta, Tangerang, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Medan, to Bali. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said the government is now encouraged to move quickly to deal with the piles of garbage that have not been handled optimally.

"The President asked the central government to immediately manage the waste that is piling up in the area to be cleaned and used as energy, especially electricity," Teddy said in a written statement received on Wednesday, March 25 evening.

This policy direction places waste no longer as a burden, but rather as an alternative energy source. The government targets processing to be carried out in an integrated manner, especially in cities with high waste volumes.

This acceleration also indicates an evaluation of the slow handling of waste so far. In many large cities, the management capacity is not comparable to the daily waste production.

The WTE program is projected to be a double way out, namely reducing environmental burdens while increasing energy supply. The government also sees economic opportunities from this sector, ranging from investment to job creation.